Grain-heater.



- UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

' GRAIN-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 8, v1905. Serial Nc. 290,936.

Patented-oct. 23,1906.

y To @ZZ wh/.0m it cori/cern: Be it known that I, HERMAN F. Prinsen, a'v

citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, andState of.. Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Im-` provements Vin Grain-Heaters, of -which the following is a speciiication. y

`My invention relates to limprovements in grain-heaters.v y y Theobject of my invention isto provide means for lsteaming and heating grain, in

l lwhich all portions of the grain while being treated will be continuouslystirred, turned,

and deflected to other portions of the heat-Q ing-chamber, whereby all the grains will be' uniformly treated. f p l A further object of the inventionis to provide eifectivemeans for steaming the grain lafter it has been warmed preparatory to the steaming operation."

In the Jfollowing description reference is` had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is an'elevation of a wheat-heater embodying my invention with the upper portion shown in vertical section cutting the steam-tubes transversely. Fig. 2 is a view at right angles .to that of Fig. l and showing both the upper and lower portion of the apparatus in vertical section.

Like parts are identiiied-by the same reference characters in both views.

A heating-chamber formed with corrugated walls A A and downwardly-diverging walls B B receives the wheat at its upper end through a hopper C and discharges it through `a valve D at its lower end. The lower end portion of the chamber is provided with convergingwalls b, connected with the diverging walls d of the valve-chamber. The walls d diverge downwardly and conically and support a concave seatd, to which the valve D is fitted. The lower edges of the valve-casing d are turned inwardly, as shown, a'nd form a rest for an overhanging portion of the valve D.

Steam-chests E E are formed on the walls B Bv', respectively, andthese chests communicate .with each other by means of pipes F, ex-

tending through the walls B B and crossing n the heating-chamber` Referring to Fig. 1, it will be observed that these pipes F are arranged in horizontallydisposed sets, and the pipes of each alternate set are arranged in the vertical plane of the spaces kbetween the pipes of the preceding set whereby the grain in passing downwardly between the pipesof one set is divided and deflected by the pipes 'of the next set, the

vpipes being lpreferably arranged to extend substantially parallel to the corrugations in the walls AA and the inward bends of-these corrugations extend between the pipes of the alternate sets with space between them and the adjacent intermediate pipes substantially equal to the dimensions of the spaces between the pipes, whereby the wheat passing downwardly along the walls A A is deilected inwardly and caused to pass between the pipes.

The walls B B are lprovided at intervals with deflectors G, preferably composed of two angularly-disposed walls extending outwardly and converginglyfrom the wall B or B and form a triangle in cross-section which extends across the chamber transversely 'to the tubes F and preferably opens to the exterior at each end, whereby a circulation of air is permitted through passages g. A shed His also provided between the walls b, which extends transversely across the heating-chamber underneath the tubes F with its apex h in close proximity to the lower set of tubes. The side walls of the shed extend outwardly in the direction of the walls b, whereby the 'wheat is permitted to reach the valve-chamber only by passingvalong these walls. This rshed supports the central portion of the wheat column to some extent and counteracts the friction of the side walls A A and B B which would otherwise result in an unequal treatment of the grain by permitting a more rapid flow at the center than at the sides.

Steam is admitted to the steam-chests through a valved inlet-pipe I and exhausts through a similar outlet-pipe I', a circulation of steam being thus produced through pipes F, which lead from one to the other. The upper ends of the steam-chests are provided with petcocks J, by means of which the chests may be relieved of air when starting the apparatus. K represents ropes for suspending the apparatus underneath the elevator-spout or in any position of use, andL is a slide-valve controlling the'flow of wheat through the hopper. l l

` When it is desired to steam the wheat, the steam may be admitted directly to the heat- IOO ing-chamber through a pipe M, which is provided with a valve vat M and which extends through the steam-chests E E and through the heating-chamber. Within the heatingchamber the pipe M is provided with a series IIO of perforations N, which permits the discharge of steam into the wheat while the latter is passing over and around the pipes F. The pipe M crosses the heating-chamber in a central vertical plane thereof and occupies the position of one of the pipes F for which it is substituted. It is preferably located below the upper sets of pipes F, so that the wheat may be heated to some extent prepara tory to the steaming operation.

With the described construction it will "be observed that the wheat passing through the heating-chamber is continuously deflected inwardly and outwardly by the side walls A A and by the deiiectors G, the latter serving to keep those grains from being overheated, which would otherwise follow the walls B B',

.By making the walls B B outwardly divergent all tendency to clog is obviated. This is of especial importance when the steaming operation is being performed, since the steam tends to swell the grain.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

l. In a grain-heater, the combination ol. a chamber formed with downwardly-divergent walls and corrugated connecting walls steam-chests formed on the downwardly-divergent walls; tubes crossing said chamber and communicating between the steamchests; and means for delivering grain to the upper end of said chamber, and permitting its discharge from the lower end.

2. In a grain-heater, the combination of a chamber formed with downwardly-divergent walls and corrugated connecting walls; steam-chests formed on the downwardly-divergent walls; tubes crossing said chamber and communicating between the steamchests; and means for delivering grain to the upper end of said chamber, and permitting its discharge from the lower end, said pipes being arranged substantially parallel to the corrugations in the connecting-walls, with the outer pipes of alternate sets partially within the outward bends of the corrugations and those of the intermediate sets opposite the inward bends.

3.\ In a grain-heater, the combination of a chamber formed with downwardly-divergent walls and corrugated connecting walls; steam-chests formed on the downwardly-divergent walls; tubes crossing said chamber and communicating between the steamchests and means for delivering grain to the upper end of said chamber, and permitting its discharge from the lower end, said divergent walls being provided with deilectingshields extending transversely to the tubes along the divergent walls.

4. In a grain-heater, the combination of a chamber formed with downwardly-divergent walls and corrugated connecting walls; steam-chests formed on the downwardly-divergent walls; tubes crossing said chamber and communicating between the steamchests 5 and means for delivering grain to the upper end of said chamber, and permitting its discharge from the lower end., said divergent walls being provided with hollow del'lecting-shields forming transverse air-passages extending transversely to the tubes along the divergent walls.

5. In a grain-heater, the combination of a chamber crossed by sets of substantially parallel transverse tubes, with the tubes of intermediate sets below the spaces between the tubes above them; walls arranged to deflect grain in said chamber inwardly between the tubes of each successive set; and means for passing steam through the tubes.

6. In a grain-heater, the combination of' a chamber crossed by sets of substantially parallel transverse tubes with the tubes of in termediate sets below the spaces between the tubes above them, walls arrangedy to deiieet grain in said chamber inwardly between the tubes; and means for passing steam through the tubes; said chamber having a conicallytapered lower portion provided with a curved valve-seat anda valve fitting said seat, and supported by the marginal edges of said lower portion of the chamber.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN F. PIETSCH.

Witnesses:

JAs. B. EnwrN, ALBERT PIETsoH. 

